Theo Westenberger was an extraordinary Artist and Photographer. The first woman to shoot the cover of NEWSWEEK and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, she was well known for her celebrity portraits and photographed an enormous range of personalities from Jennifer Aniston to General Schwarzkopf. She worked as a photographer at Life, Time, People, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, Architectural Digest, Entertainment Weekly, National Geographic Traveler and Islands.

Her archive is housed at the Gene Autry Museum, where the Theo Westenberger Prize for excellence in the arts by women is also awarded. Her work also appears in numerous collections including the Getty Museum, the Washington State Museum, the New York Historical Society, and the Sundance Institute.

Her photographs have been featured by the United States Postal Service on two stamps and she has been the subject of features in numerous publications including Photo District News, Camera Arts and Studio Photography and Design.

Westenberger received her MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute and focused on both her art and commercial photography throughout her successful career. She died at home in New York on February 28, 2008 after a long and heroic struggle with lung cancer. She was 57 years old.

Theo Westenberger dedicated her estate to supporting women artists, animals and the environment.